


Of Blisters and Ballet Shoes

by soft_and_bold



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dance, Dance!AU, M/M, Mutual Pining, Space Gays, adopted brother shiro, ballerina lance, dancer!au, hip hop keith, lance really loves cacti, plantboy lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-08-13 14:17:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7979740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soft_and_bold/pseuds/soft_and_bold
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith is a HipHop Dancer, Lance does contemporary ballet. They're both in love with each other's dance styles. And each other. The only problem is they're both totally oblivious. </p><p>Or the dance au where Keith and Lance have a beautiful bonding moment because Keith can't stand for Lance's honour to be wounded in any way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hip Hop Goes my Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, this will be my first attempt at a little three chaptered thing. Hopefully it all makes sense! I tried my absolute hardest this far so i'm actually really excited to put it up!  
> I hope you like it and that it gives you cavities from how sickly sweet these boys are.

Lance remembered auditioning for the prestigious ‘Allured dance academy’. Although he had prepared his entire life for this moment he was still nervous. But he knew that all the nerves would leave as soon as the first hum of the violins played and he threw himself into his own unique art. He did like auditions though, to a point, as you were exposed to other genres of dancing, and more often than not he would take note of any particular move or technique that he could incorporate into later routines. He sat and watched probably 15 auditionees until something absolutely spectacular happened.

The previously unnoticed black haired boy had stepped into the spotlight, wearing a red vest hoodie that said ‘I don’t dance’. He chuckled at the blatant High School Musical reference and was prepared to take nothing the dancer did seriously. But as soon as he started his short routine the boy had changed almost instantly. His small demeaning stature left instantly and he had immediate command of the stage. 

Such mastery of rhythm and intricate footwork seemed to come naturally to him, the sharp movement of his arms and sweeping of legs low against the ground created an absolutely mesmerising effect. And it was at that moment that he decided that he would befriend this boy in order to learn everything that made him work. To be able to make him smile the way that he smiled when he was on that stage. 

 

This project became harder than he thought and while Lance would say that the two talked, he never felt like he could ask what he wanted. They weren’t “best friends” close and he would often mope around the school gardens because of it. 

It took Lance a very long time to discover that the other boy felt the same way.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

Keith loved watching Lance dance. Although they didn’t have a single class together he often found himself walking past the contemporary ballet room at a ‘coincidentally convenient’ time. While he didn’t like to linger in case his ridiculous crush on the boy was discovered he couldn’t help himself. But without a doubt Lance was the most elegant and emotive dance that he had ever seen and watching him was always an experience. His every movement seemed effortless yet striking. The strength in his entire body juxtaposing against the fluidity of his movements. And no matter how hard he tried, he knew he would forever be encapsulated in this whirling world of Lance McClain.

Perhaps that was why he was slowly falling in love with the ridiculous Latino boy, because when he performed you were apart of a conversation, watching a new world unfold in front of your eyes. And because he was slowly learning more about him, his weird obsession with Debussy, and seemingly infinite love of cacti, many of which littered his dorm room. But then again Keith knew that these were things that everyone else on their dorm hall knew. 

 

Since they had both started Allured Dance Academy at the same time they had been put into the same dorm hall with numerous first years. And while Keith got along with most of them he had kept his friendship group small, containing Hunk, Pidge, Shiro, and recently Lance (If their multiple awkward encounters counted as friendship). But it was a comfortable and safe existence for him. Even if he spent all the time that he should be dancing pining after Lance. 

 

Because their rooms were across the hall from each other they seemed to argue a fair bit. And this had granted them the ‘old married couple’ status in the dorm hall. Lance would play his classical music too loud and often passionately argue with Pidge whether or not cacti were plant. Which was fine. If it didn’t always happen at 1 o'clock in the morning. Which would always result in Keith calling Lance a nocturnal moron and a short lecture on the merits of sleep for someone of his line of profession. Or Keith would make Lance late to classes for some strange and obscure reason. And then he would have to endure numerous ridiculous puns that would be slid under his door on post it notes. But their communication never really furthered from that, and Keith wasn’t quite sure how he was mean to befriend someone quite so stupid, and pretty.

 

‘Shiro’ Keith whined. ‘I don’t know what to do. He hardly notices me, and when he does it doesn't mean anything because he’s such a flirt to everyone. And i was watching him rehearse for our final performances this year and i nearly cried. It’s so goddamn graceful and i can’t stand it. Or his idiot face. His dumb, stupid, gorgeous face.’ 

Keith often complains to Shiro about Lance, someone who has become like a big brother to him. But is usually fell on deaf ears because after nearly a full year of being at the academy he still had the same things to say. Unless he started complaining how stupid it was that his room was full of small cacti or that he had learned some strange habit, Shiro had long since learned to only tune in if something important was said.  
‘Keith, Lance flirts with everything that walks. But he only tells you terrible puns. It’s not that hard to knock on the boys door and ask him to go for coffee? Is it?’ 

‘I mean i guess not,’ at this Keith awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, a slight pink tinge on his cheeks. Then he rose up slowly, ‘I better be off, but thanks for the help.’ 

‘You know i’m always here for you you doofus,’ the two smiled at each other and Keith meandered back to his dorm. 

What he did not expect to find on his return, was a crumpled up Lance in the school rose garden, covered in dirt, quietly sobbing under the soft light of the stars.


	2. Tip-Toe Through the Roses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance have a bonding moment. Space documentaries. Battle Plan to Beat up an asshole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so Zack Galrand is ZARKON who is leader of the GALRA EMPIRE - sort of a pun? I dunno.  
> sorry it took so long. I had six assignments. but man do i love these two  
> If there's any problems with the chapter let me know  
> xxx

There was something magical about the way Lance held himself, always with an air of sophistication but with a mischievous glint in his eyes. It made you feel that he was up to something, and in an exchange of glances you were in on it too. But in this very moment none of that was apparent. Whatever had happened had squished Lance’s enormous personality and reduced him into a small bundle of the ground. And it made Keith furious.  
Keith sat next to the boy and put is head on his legs, softly playing with his hair.  
‘Lance what happened? I can wait. But I need to know who did this to you. So I can punch them in the face.’

Lance slowly sat himself up and pulled out two absolutely shattered ballet shoes from a duffel bag. And it was very obvious by the desperate look on Lance’s face that the destruction of his ballet shoes was more important to him than anything in the world. More important than the bruises that were slowly blooming on his skin. More important than his dancing.  
He cradled them to his chest. ‘They were the last thing I got from my Mum before she passed. How am I meant to dance if I can’t dance with her? WHATS THE FUCKING POINT KEITH. And I had lead in our major recital this week. He knew that scouts were coming. He KNEW. He just can’t stand that someone like me is better than someone like him. If you can’t be bothered to put in the fucking work then you deserve to be an understudy.’ At this Lance’s expression grew darker, his words rushed and harsh and in obvious pain from multiple things being broken and taken away from him all at once.  
‘Keith I can’t dance. Not in the recital. Not ever. Not If he’s going to keep doing this to me. I’m tired. I am so done. There’s only so much I can do. And if the only result of avoidance and pacifism is that I get beat up and my things get ruined. Then really. What’s the point?’  
Keith grabbed Lance’s head in between his hands and looked him right in the eyes.  
‘Who is doing this. Lance I swear to god.’  
His eyes lowered, looking instead at his hands after Keith had let go of his face.  
‘Zack Galrand.’  
Of course it was Zack, The egotistical bastard. He’d never really bothered Keith because of his ‘stoic and fierce persona’ but he had no idea that he had been tormenting Lance so badly.  
‘Lance. You should have told me sooner.’ Keith placed his forehead on Lance’s for a moment. He got lost in that moment, in the dirt and the tears still running down Lance’s face and the surrounding scent of flowers and the overarching emptiness of space.  
Then Keith stood up, slightly weirded out that he had been that close to Lance for so long, put Lance’s duffle bag over his arm. And then proceeded to pick up the crying boy.  
‘Come on Lance. Let’s get you back home’  
While Lance was ridiculously heavy, Keith’s anger at a certain asshole was making the walk back to their dorm hall a lot easier. Even though the world has changed so much there are still some people that feel empowered by the belittling of others. But for someone to attack Lance in such a way for something as beautiful as his talent. That was absurd. Totally ridiculous. And Keith was seething. Returning to their room he decided that tonight Lance would not be left alone.  
Allowing Lance to stand on his own two feet he decided to ask If it would be alright with Lance if he stayed with him in his own dorm tonight? Which was fine with the Latino.

That night was more than Keith could have hoped for. Just hanging out and making sure Lance was okay was probably one of the best, albeit quietest nights of his life. He put on one of the space documentaries that Lance likes watching and they just sat on his bed drinking hot chocolate and eating pizza.  
‘Hey Keith?’  
‘Yeah?’  
‘Why are you doing this. You could have let me go back to my own room you know.’  
Naturally both boys were blushing at this point. But, with blankets over their heads and the newest Star Trek movies playing they couldn’t see each other well in the darkness. Something they were both very thankful for.  
‘I dunno Lance. I just.’ Keith paused. Right in this moment he had the opportunity to tell Lance everything he had been thinking and feeling over the past year. Which he knew he couldn't do. Not yet. 

  
‘Look. You’re an amazing dancer. And the world is a really shitty place. And the fact that you’ve just been putting up with it made me really mad. I thought you would’ve told me. But I get it. I’ve been there’. Here’s where Keith put himself on the line. Breathing in slowly he finished. ‘When I was in high school. There was this kid. Bradley. He never liked me. Used to play some really lame pranks on me. That was until he. Um. Found out I was gay.’ At this he paused. Admittedly freaking out a little.  
‘And then he’d bash me up. That’s when mum signed me up for Karate. And then one day I fought back. I think fighting back is important. But I also think having friends is important. And I know quite a lot of the people here at the academy care about. I’m pretty sure Hunk would kick someone’s ass for you.’  
Lance was staring at Keith with the widest eyes and mouth wide open.  
‘Dude. That’s really bad ass.’

If Keith could read thoughts he would hear Lance’s brain screaming and squealing like a five-year-old because the beautiful Keith Kogane was gay and in love and for once in his life Lance had a chance. He grinned.

And suddenly they were both laughing.

After a while they calmed down and fell asleep to the calming tone of The Enterprise and Spock explaining something far too complicate, possibly ending up sleeping far too close together, comfortable and feeling better after earlier events.

 

The next night Keith called an emergency meeting of friends.  
‘I have called you together for a special circumstance, you guys are either mine, or Lance’s closes friends so here it goes. Zack has been fucking with Lance for a few weeks apparently. And I found him last night all beaten up with ruined ballet shoes. He’s okay now thanks to the magic of stage makeup. But yeah. We need a plan of attack.’  
Here’s what I have so far, Hunk is the brawn, Pidge is the hacker, Shiro your operation leader and Lance and I will be prank patrol.  
And the plotting began and a (probably far too in-depth) ‘OPERATION: Fuck with Zack for a week until he apologises and does something embarrassing.’

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Lance had as much pride as the next person. Proudly unashamed of being himself, proud of his work, of his dancing. But when someone starts messing with you because you have something someone else wants. It took its toll. And his only enjoyment was joking around with Keith of Hunk. Or annoying Hunk talking about how beautiful Keith was and that even though he had a mullet he would still bang him 10/10. But growing up in a large family had meant fending for yourself sometimes. And it was times like this where he was at a loss of what to do.

After last night Lance appreciated Keith’s existence even more. He was kind hearted and actually really weird. Two seconds in his room and you were surrounded by so many cacti. It was ridiculous. He would have laughed and made a bad pun if he had felt up to it. And Kieth's was weird to boot his weird and sort of awkward personality. By stealing his phone his music went from My Chemical Romance to Adele to Tchaikovsky. And it was wonderful. Keith had looked after him in a non-pitying way. Didn't mother him, but didn't abandon him either, and he felt so special and loved. While he was still aching from Zack, laughing at Keith trying to one up his space knowledge was glorious.  
This feeling was entirely new. This warmth and constant heat in his heart. The feeling that even one asshole couldn't take away. Because Lance had a spring in his step and the most beautiful goddamn smile on the face of the earth. He would cling to this feeling until he died.  
And if it meant spending more time in Keith’s room of pointy hell then he would gladly do it.

Opening the door to his first dance class of the day, well looked after and with the knowledge that soon ass would be kicked in the most wonderful way resulted in a new confidence.  
Today Lance would be the most Lance Lance there was.  
And he would help fuck up Zack.  
And he would win Keith’s heart.


	3. Petty Pirouettes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revenge is sought, and something much sweeter is gained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long it's been an awful few months, Merry Christmas or culturally appropriate holiday you partake in <3  
> Also i regret not calling the Klance Klance Revolution

Keith was nothing if not petty, a creature living out of spite for the rest of the world. A bitter hatred against all those who were in his way. When someone said no, he took that no until he could shove it in your smug face. Hence why he was so good at dancing, his spite transformed into erratic fluid motion. This is currently the reason why he was working so hard to make Lance’s life just a little better, playing pranks on the boy who had bullied him because Lance didn’t want him hurt. However Keith was more than prepared the kick the ever living shit out of Zack if he so much as LOOKED at Lance wrong. 

With Lance he felt differently. Lance made Keith want to live for something much more meaningful. Something better than pettiness and spite. Better than hate and bitterness. The possibility of winning Lance’s stupid heart. That’s what kept him going now. 

And if that meant hosting the most wonderful undercover prank operation to ever be seen than so be it. 

It started that Monday. Before class started Pidge auto-signed Zack up to 50 gay porn sites, connecting them to both his email and phone, enabling all notifications. Throughout Zacks first class, which Lance was FOR ONCE thankful that they shared, his phone was repeatedly buzzing. Each time he checked his cheeks were flushed red, in anger of embarrassment Lance couldn’t tell. But either way multiple notifications concerning incredibly specific titles such as ‘ginger orgies’, and ‘big cocked white boys’ was obviously becoming too much for the boy. 

Lance chuckled softly, enjoying the soft form that his revenge was taking. He’d never wanted to seriously hurt Zack, having to hold keith back multiple times from punching him on multiple occasions after he had divulged other incidents to him. But it was pleasant enough to see him squirming in discomfort

He smiled to himself, admiring Keith from afar had been fine, just a sort of hobby, Sometimes when he had art block he would draw the boy, generally in the outfit he had seen him wearing when he first saw him dance. But being friends with Keith was a whole different ballgame. He got to know him, really know him, and he was taking up every opportunity he could to spend time with him. Keith was rough around the edges, but he was fiercely loyal to those he cared about. And being under Keith’s wing was wonderful. He wasn’t fighting back on his own anymore. Keith has his back, and he had Keith’s.  
__________________________________________________________________________

Zack tugged at a strand of his hair, “I can’t believe this” he muttered, tossing his phone bag into bag he stormed out of class. Sighing he tried to figure out if he’s just received a virus from any internet shopping he may have done but nothing really came to mind. He didn’t even watch these sorts of things. But suddenly he remembered Lance’s small chuckle. Maybe it didn’t mean anything, Maybe it did. Whatever, that boy was too much of an idiot to ever do something like this, 

However this one incident was only one in a never ending train of awkward and embarrassing moments. The worse one being that he was informed by a Junior student that his final class of the day had been moved due to an issue with the flooring in their room. Walking to the other side of campus to discover he had been entirely misinformed, instead barging head first into Shiro teaching a beginners ballet lesson. Stammering profusely he apologised and fled from the presence of his long time idol. This resulted him running all the way back to his room, awkwardly explaining what had happened, and then explaining to his teacher what had happened. Needless to say the punishment had been severe. 

 

Tuesday ended up being just as terrible, with the furniture in his room being mysteriously moved, and entire packets of m&m’s filling up all his shoes. Wednesday was just as bad. He drew the line when he woke up on thursday unable to locate his ballet shoes, only for them to be out the front of his door. Frozen. In a cylinder of ice. 

Storming to Lance’s room he knocked loudly and repeatedly on the door.   
‘I know you’re behind this Mcclain, you’ll pay for this i swear to god’. However he was not expecting to find a just woken Keith, instead of Lance. 

________________________________

Keith was slightly in shock, not expecting to have an angry entitled fuckboy shouting for Lance so early in the morning.   
Zack pulled Keith closer to him by his tshirt and whispered menacingly ‘Listen Kogane I don’t want to know about what you two get up to, just tell me where Lance is and you won’t get hurt, I know he’s the one messing with me the little shit.’   
Keith pushed him back. ‘You know what dude, fuck you.’ Lance had gone to his lesson, Zack was here, there wasn’t anyone to hold him back.   
‘Fuck you and your bigoted ass. You can’t dance for shit, and now you’re trying to ruin someone else's chances just because you're bitter about your own inadequacy. Just accept that maybe if you TRIED HARDER maybe you would have made it, don’t take it out on him. He doesn’t deserve it.’   
At this Zack glared at him ‘Sounds like you’re in love Kogane. Doesn’t matter though because Lance sleeps with anything with legs’. Keith leapt into action. 

‘DON’T TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE THAT. SO WHAT IF I DO LOVE HIM AT LEAST I’M NOT A PIECE OF SHIT’.

Naturally this was the time that Lance stuck his head around the corner.   
‘Keith what. The. Fuck’. 

Keith turned his head to look at him.

Zack punched him too hard. 

Keith blacked out.

Zack ran.

Lance ran and held Keith closely, who was only bleeding from the nose, but many bruises were forming and he pulled him into his room and proceeded to look after keith, cradling his head in his lap until he finally opened his eyes. 

‘Hey there sleeping beauty’  
‘Hey Lance’.

Keith sat up and looked at Lance. 

‘You know i um, hear your entire speech. Very heartwarming honestly.’ Despite his joking tone Keith could see the blush dusting over his nose and cheeks. 

‘Oh I uh, sorry, If I made you uncomfortable.’

‘No Keith. Just. Listen. Okay?’ Keith nodded ‘I love watching you dance. You’re the closest thing to a friend I’ve ever had, but. It’s different I guess. I love watching you dance, I love getting to know you. This has been one of the best years ever despite all the crappy stuff. Because i got to spend it wit you. I’ve never really had anyone to watch my back and do dumb dorky shit with. And I love doing that with you.’ At this he stopped and awkwardly looked down at his hands fumbling over his next words.

In that moment Keith froze, his heart racing a million miles a minute, eyes glued on the gorgeous boy in front of him. 

 

‘I love you Keith Kogane. 

Keith took Lance’s head in between his hand and kissed the boy, surprising the both of them.  
‘I love you too Lance you beautiful idiot.’ 

Both of them laughed. Happy that unfortunate circumstances had brought them closer together. The unlikely pair of a hiphop artist and a ballet dancer finally content in their own universe.


End file.
